Washing machine



Nov. s, 193s. c, A, MOORE 2,136,056

WASHING MACHINE Filed Nov. 15. `195e INVENTOR. i4/Z275 d Moore.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES WASHING MACHINE Charles A. Moore, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Borg- Warner Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Application November 13, 1936, Serial No. 110,558

Claims.

This invention relates to washing machines and has particular reference to driving mechanisms therefor which are capable of imparting an oscillatory rotary motion to the agitating means employed therewith.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a novel form of driving mechanism for a washing machine agitator having an oscillatory rotary agitating action which offers a greater angle through which the agitator shaft operates than has heretofore been realized and which, therefore, lends smoother operating qualities to the machine as a Whole for a longer period of time.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved and simplified form of driving mechanism for washing machines employing an agitating means adapted for oscillatory rotary motion, and which requires a very small amount of housing space.

Another object of this invention is to. provide a washing machine driving mechanism of the type to be described which offers a very small opportunity to get out of working order because of its durability, and which offers a very high efficiency during operation.

Another object of this invention is to'provide a novel form of transmission for washing machines which operates silently, smoothly, and with a consumption of less power than in the past.

Another object of this invention is to provide a washing machine gear mechanism which imparts an oscillatory rotary agitating motion t0 the washing machine agitator and which is capable of distributing its forces equally throughout the various parts of the mechanism at all points of the operating cycle, thus materially eliminating cycle dead-center effects.

Another object of this invention is to provide a washing machine transmission of the class to be described which is made up of a minimum of parts and which olfers, among other things, a very small initial cost as well as a very small operating cost.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel system of linkages and gearing cooperating in a small space to give the agitator of a washing machine an oscillatory rotary motion.

As illustrated in the drawing, the entire gearing and linkage system for the washing machine, as well as part of the mechanism used in conjunction with the wringer, is disposed and conlined within a casing located near the bottom of the WasherA tub. It is true that the motivating power for the mechanism lies without the cas-l ing, but this is true in most cases. By a System of linkages and gearing, it is seen that, in a novel manner, the same power that drives the Washing machine agitator also drives the wringer. This driving power comes into the mechaanism through a horizontally disposed worm shaft and is transmitted simultaneously therefrom to the wringer shaft through a crank wheel and therefrom to the agitator shaft through al plurality of cranks. The resulting effect is that the agitator is given a greater than customary arc of travel, thus producing a longer and smoother agitating action.

For a better understanding of rmy invention reference may be had to the following drawing of which there is one sheet and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front View of a washing machine and wringer unit with a portion thereof cut away and illustrating the adaptability of my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal view shown partially in section of the mechanism embodied in my invention and adapted for use in a machine such as that illustrated in Fig. 1. As illustrated in Fig. l., there is shown a washing machine, generally indicated at lll, comprising supporting legs I 2, a tub'id, a removable cover I6 therefor, and an impeller-type agitator, generally indicated at I8. The lower portion of the washing machine l0 is devoted to housing the gearing mechanism for the apparatus. A manual control 22 is workably associated with the mechanism for selectively operating or shutting off same. Supported by the washing machine at one side thereof is a wringer, generally indicated at 24, which is mechanically associated with the mechanism disposed in casing 20 by other (and undisclosed) mechanism disposed within a housing, generally indicated at 26.

Fig.,2 illustrates the washing machine transmission which is adapted for use in a machine such as that illustrated in Fig. 1. This mechanism is shown asbeing completely housed with-4 in the casing 20, said casing being suitably supported by the washing machine by means of cap screws 28 which pass through holes 30 of casing 2t and are threaded into appropriate threaded portions of the base of the Washing machine.

A worm gear 4U is horizontally disposed with relation to the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 and is motivated by a motor (not shown) or by some other `appropriate driving device. Gear 4l] is adapted to be engaged at one endthereof, through a gasket 4I, by a threaded adjusting means 42 which is threaded into a section provided therefor in casing 28. By means of this member 42, the end thrust of gear 40 is thus relieved. The adjusting operation is accomplished by the removal of an internally threaded nut member 44 which is threaded onto the end of member 42, and the manual turning of member 42 to its desired position. A slot 45 is provided therefor. An annular gasket 46 is disposed between nut 44 and casing 20.

A crank wheel 48, provided with peripheral teeth, is properly positioned and supported for rotary motion by a stub shaft D. Wheel 48 is disposed with relation to worm gear 40 in such a way that rotation of gear 46 about a Xed horizontal axis gives wheel 48 a rotation about a fixed vertical aXis. Toi one arm 52 of crank wheel 48 is secured, for pivotal movement thereabout, a crank arm 54. This pivotal movement of crank arm 54 is caused by a fulcrum pin 56 which is fixed to arm 52 of wheel 48 and is loosely associated with arm 54 by passing up through a hole provided therefor in arm 54, so that rotary motion of wheel 48 causes arm 54 to move freely about its fulcrum point 56.

Practically on a line which is normal to the tangent at the point of contact between wheel 48 and gear 48, and which passes through the y center of the cross section of stub shaft 56, is

disposed a wringer shaft 58 which carries a wringer drive pinion 60. The distance between the axes of crank wheel 48 and wringer shaft 58 is such as to allow the teeth of pinion 66 to properly mesh with the teeth of crank wheel 48, so that the rotary motion transmitted from gear 45 to wheel 48 is transmitted therefrom to the .vringer shaft 58.

Slidably mounted on wringer shaft 58 is a crank arm 62 one end of which is provided with a fixed pin 64. Pin 64 is adapted to loosely engage with a hole provided in one end of crank arm 54 and be inserted therein for both driving and governing the motion of the means utilized in this invention for driving the agitator shaft.

To the other end of arm 54 there is secured, for pivotal movement thereabout, another crank arm 66 which is pivotally secured to said end of arm 54 by means of a pin 68. Arm 66 cooperates with crank wheel 48 to transmit the motion thereof to a driving segment gear 68 which is pivoted at a point l0 for oscillatory motion thereabout. Gear 68 and arm 66 are pivotally connected by means of a pin 12 which is inserted in holes provided therefor in one end of each of said elements.

Pivotal point 18 of segment gear 68 is disposed with relation to the mechanism in such a way as to allow the teeth of said gear to properly mesh with the teeth of an agitator drive pinion 14 which is carried by the agitator shaft 16. It will be noted that segment gear 68, the driving member for the agitator pinion 14, is provided with machine such as that disclosed in Fig. 1 is outstandingly simple in operation. Rotation of the worm gear 40 by som-e appropriate driving means operates to rotate the crank heel 48. As wheel 48 rotates, it carries with it the crank arm 54 which ispivotally mounted on one of the spokes 52 of said wheel. Rotation of wheel 48 also causes rotation of the wringer shaft 58 because of the mechanical association between each of these members. Another arm 62 which is slidably mounted on wringer shaft 58 is pivotally secured at one end thereo-f to one end of arm 54. The other end of arm 54 is pivotally secured to one end of another arm 66. The other end of arm 66 is pivotally secured to one end of the driving segment gear 68. Said driving gear is pivotally secured to a stationary portion of the washing machine frame so that the gear will oscillate back and forth about its pivot point according to the rotation of gear wheel 43 and the linkage system connected thereto. The peripheral teeth of segment gear 68 are engageable with the peripheral teeth of the agitator pinion 'I4 for driving same. As the crank wheel 48 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction by means of worm gear 40, the crank arm 54 is adapted to pendulate about its pivotal point 56 as well as rotate about the axis 58 of wheel 48. 'Ihis oscillatory rotary motion given to crank arm 54 by crank wheel 48 causes the pivoted end l2 of crank arm 66 to reciprocate back and forth along a definite and well defined arc. This motion of crank arm 66 necessarily imparts an oscillatory motion to segment gear 68, said motion being about the fixed point l0. The segment gear 68, in turn, imparts this oscillatory motion to the engaging agitator driving pinion 14. The arrangement of the parts of the mechanism, and the selective choice of the number of teeth on both the segment gear 68 and agitator pinion 14, combine to give the agitator shaft 'I6 an oscillatory rotary motion back and forth through an arc greater than 360. It will be seen that this feature necessarily renders an agitating action which is both smoother and more continuous than agitating actions of the past.

It is not intended that the invention should be limited to the exact structure illustrated herein, this being shown merely for the purpose of providing a practical embodiment of the invention on which the appending claims are drawn to cover any of the forms, applications, modifications, and embodiments in which the invention may appear.

I claim:

1. Drive mechanism comprising a driven shaft with driving means thereon, means driven by said driving means for driving another shaft, and means associated with said second mentioned means for driving another shaft about its axis through an arc of greater than 360, first in one direction and then in the other, said third mentioned means being pivoted about one of said shafts.

2. Drive mechanism comprising a driven shaft with driving means thereon, means engaging said driving means for being driven thereby, means engaging said driven means for driving a second shaft, a rotatable segment driving means, and means cooperating with said second mentioned means and said segment driving means for driving a third shaft through an arc of greater than 360, first in one direction and then in the other, and being fulcrated at one end about the axis of one of said shafts.

3. Drive mechanism comprising a driven shaft rotatable about a fixed axis and having driving means thereon, driven means associated with said driving means to be driven thereby and rotatable about an axis perpendicular to said other axis, shaft driving means associated with said driven means to be driven thereby and rotatable about an axis parallel to said second mentioned axis, a pivoted driving means driven by said rst mentioned driven means and adapted for having the center thereof describe a circle about the axis of said driven means, and shaft driving means associated With said pivoted means and oscillatable about an axis parallel to said second mentioned axis through an arc of greater than 360, first in one direction and then in the other.

4. Drive mechanism comprising a driven shaft rotatable about a fixed axis and having driving means thereon, a driven means engageable with said driving means and driven thereby about an axis perpendicular to said first mentioned axis, means driven at a central portion thereof by said first mentioned driven means along an arcuate path, and means associated with said central driven means and driven thereby oscillatably about a xed axis parallel to said second mentioned axis.

5. Drive mechanism comprising a driven shaft with driving means thereon, a gear Wheel engageable with and in the same plane as said shaft and driven thereby, a pivoted segment gear cooperative With said gear Wheel for oscillating about its pivot, and a pinion engageable with said segment gear and driven thereby about an axis through an arc of greater than 360, first in one direction and then in the other, said last mentioned pinion having less teeth than said segment gear and means for causing cooperation between said pivoted segment gear and said gear wheel comprising three levers connected at separate points on one of said levers.

6. Mechanism for imparting an oscillatory rotary motion to a shaft including a driven shaft with driving means thereon, rotatable gearing means associated with said driving means for being driven thereby, a rotatable shaft associated with said gearing means for being driven thereby, another shaft adapted for oscillatable rotation, means for imparting said rotation to said last mentioned shaft, and means for actuating said means, said actuating means being mechanically associated with said rotatable gearing means and said imparting means for oscillatably rotating said last mentioned shaft back and forth through an arc of greater than 360, the center of said actuating means describing a circle around the axis of said rotatable gearing means and an end therevof adapted for describing an arc of predetermined radius.

7. Drive mechanism comprising a driven shaft with driving means thereon, a driven member rotated by said driving means, a pair of shafts driven by said driven member, a plurality of cranks and a pivoted driving member, one of said shafts being adapted to be driven directly by said member, the other of said shafts being adapted to be driven indirectly by said member through said plurality of cranks and said pivoted driving means, one of said cranks being pivotally mounted on said driven member, another of said cranks being slidably mounted on one of said pair of shaftsA and pivotally mounted on said first meritioned crank, another of said cranks being pivotally mounted on said first crank and on said pivoted driving means for the other of said pair of shafts.

8. Drive mechanism for driving a shaft comprising a drive shaft with driven means thereon a pivoted driving member for driving said driven means, another driving member adapted for rotation, means comprising a pair of pivoted arms cooperative with said last two driving members -for imparting to said driven means a driving force in consecutively opposite directions about a fixed point, said means comprising two free pivot points and a pivoted connection to said pivoted driving member, and external driving means for said mechanism.

9. Washing machine transmission comprising, means for driving said transmission, a member rotatably driven by said means, a lever pivoted near its center about a point on said member away-from the axis of the latter, a pair of links each fulcrated at an end about opposite ends of said lever, the other end of one of said links being pivoted for oscillation about a fixed axis, and the other end of the other of said links being pivoted for oscillation about a movable axis.

10. Washing machine transmission comprising, means for driving said transmission, a rotatable member in driven relationship with said means, a floating lever driven by said member and having a point common therebetween describing a path around the axis of said member, a pair of shafts,

` and a pair of links one end of each of which being CHARLES A. MOORE. 

